


Iron's Past

by Chromite



Series: Pearl Fight Club [5]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gem Weapons, Origin Story, Peridots - Freeform, Poofing, Private Quarters, Sparring, Training, labratory, mention of killing organics, mention of shattering gems, strict orders, unwanted gift
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-05-31 15:20:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19428673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chromite/pseuds/Chromite
Summary: A story of how Iron, the Champion of the ring of Staves, became who she is.Story marked mature for later chapters, you'll probably understand why when you read about what Hematite's role is.Iron's name won't be used in the story until she chooses it for herself.





	1. Hematite retrieves her gift

>Hematite walked through the halls of the facility, grumbling under her breath at the ridiculousness of the situation. Hematite was about six feet tall, a long, slender body, her skin a dark grey, her hair a lighter grey, short and messy, her eyes the same shade as her hair. Her body was clad in a tight grey jumpsuit, a White Diamond emblem sitting firmly on her chest, the only part of her that wasn't dark. Her feet were covered in thin shoes, designed to mask her movements. Her grey gemstone sat between her shoulder blades, smooth and shining in the light as she moved down the halls.  
>Hematite's primary purpose was gathering intelligence, to spy on organic creatures and elite gems alike, and when the need arose, she would be assigned to assassinate those she was observing, her hands getting covered in blood and gemdust alike. It was this purpose that was part of her agitation. Her actions, her abilities, had been deemed extraordinary enough to warrant the creation of her very own Pearl. Most gems would have been thrilled, other Hematites had expressed jealousy at her when they heard the news. This Hematite wasn't thrilled. A Pearl was a liability in her line of work, Hematite knew all too well that Pearls were a good source of information about their owners, knew her Pearl would be no different. Yet White Diamond herself had awarded Hematite with the privilege of getting a Pearl, and she knew defying her Diamond would be far worse than what her rivals might do.  
>So it was that she found herself throwing the doors to the lab open in annoyance. She smirked a bit as she saw the fear on the faces of the Peridots in charge of creating her Pearl. Hematite's reputation proceeded her. The smirk soon faded into a sneer. "So, I've been told you have a Pearl ready for me? Let's get this over with, where is she?"  
>Many of the Peridots moved aside, leaving one with a gem at her throat alone to face Hematite. "Y-yes, she just finished forming not too long ago! This way, I'll take you to her." The Peridot shook as she walked past her peers, Hematite following closely behind her. The pair passed through a few rooms before coming to a wide open area, filled with tubes and machinery.  
>"There she is! I hope.....you enjoy her." The Peridot stepped out of the line of sight and did her best salute, leaving Hematite to eye her Pearl over.  
> The Pearl in question had grey skin, shoulder length grey hair, and shining white eyes. Her body was clad in a dark grey leotard, dark grey stockings, black ballet shoes, and transparent grey frills over her shoulders and around her waist. A diamond shaped opening sat at her naval, revealing her grey gemstone sitting smooth and shining bright.  
>The Pearl smiled as she eyed Hematite and moved her bare arms into a salute, standing silent.  
>Hematite eyed the Pearl and sighed. "At least she's pretty. Come on Pearl, let's get going." Hematite turned and left the room, walking quickly.  
>The Pearl hesitated a moment before dropping her salute and following after her new master, speaking out. "Yes my Hematite." as she started walking, leaving the Peridot alone in the room to breathe a sigh of relief. She had expected to be shattered in a fit of rage, or at least poofed.  
>Hematite and the Pearl walked swiftly out of the lab and back through the halls of the facility, her new Pearl struggling to keep up with the speed of her master. Soon the pair found themselves outside, where the Hematite turned around and looked at her Pearl again, her eyes hard. "Pearl, get one thing strait, I accepted you because White Diamond herself decreed I deserved a gift. We will arrive at my quarters, and you will close your eyes and remain silent while I am present. When I am away, you will not dig through anything, you will not clean anything, you will mess with nothing. You will be nothing but decoration unless I tell you otherwise. Is that clear?"  
>The Pearl's eyes widened, she was taken aback by Hematite's harsh words. Still, her master had given her directions. "Yes my Hematite, I will do what you desire."  
>"Good. Try to keep up, the sooner I get back, the sooner I can plan out my next mission." Hemattie turned back around and began walking faster than before. The Pearl pushed her newly formed legs to their limits keeping up with her new master, who weaved between buildings and made a few loops and some backtracking before she arrived at a small grey building. She pressed her hand to the pad, the pad lighting up for a moment before a screen popped up. Hematite's fingers glided quickly across the screen in a long and complex series of motions, giving the new Pearl a moment to catch her breath.  
>A few minutes of inputs later, the door slid open and Hematite walked inside, the Pearl following behind. The interior was small and cramped, Hematite reached over to another panel and pressed a few buttons. A low hum sounded before the room they were in started to move, the sensation making the Pearl slightly queasy. Down the room moved, far under the surface of the planet they were on, before it opened up to reveal a larger room. Hematite and the Pearl stepped out of the elevator and into the room. Hematite moved over to her desk while the Pearl's eyes widened in awe.  
>The room itself was a lovely golden color, sparkling silver drapes hung upon the wall, a gold bed sat in the middle of the room, lovely silver sheets laid upon it neatly. In the corner near the desk Hematite had gone to sat a large dresser, the only plain looking thing in the room.  
>"Pearl, do you remember my order?" A chill went through the Pearl's form. "I, forgive me my Hematite, you....where should I stand, my Hematite?"  
>Hematite rolled her eyes. "Right, you need to be told everything." She glanced around the room a moment before settling on a spot. She pointed to the corner furthest away from her desk. "Stand there and keep quiet. That will be all." Hematite clapped her hands and turned her attention back to the papers laid upon the desk.  
>The Pearl walked over to the indicated corner, put her back against the corner, and closed her eyes, letting darkness fill her vision.  
>The Pearl's body relaxed as she stood still, the only sounds present the rustling of the papers on the desk and the mutterings of her Hematite. The Pearl knew she shouldn't try to listen, but she couldn't help but hear the curses, the mutterings of plans as she ran through them in a hushed tone aloud. Her senses were being heightened to compensate for her eyes being closed. She could feel the chill of the cold room against her bare arms folded into a salute, could smell an earthy aroma wafting through the room as she heard a drawer open up. She could hear her master let out a soft chuckle and a whispered out "Perfect, this plan will work". She could hear the footsteps of her master walking across the room, could hear the words spoken to her very clearly. "Remember what I said about what to do when I'm gone Pearl. If you don't, the consequences will be severe."  
>"Yes my Hematite." the Pearl spoke out, keeping her eyes closed. The Hematite sighed before she touched the panel present in her room, the Pearl hearing a sequence of beeps, each tone slightly different from each other, some tones repeating. She could hear the woosh of the door opening and closing and the hum of the elevator going back up the shaft. Only when the humming died down did she dare open her eyes a moment, did she let her body slump down as she sat her bottom upon the cold floor. She let the tears fall freely now. "Oh stars, I hope she warms up to me and lets me do something. I don't want to be just decoration."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, we've got an assassin and a gift she views as a liability. Hematite herself is a very brutal gem, she's constantly aware of what's at her back. She has to be, or her gem is cracked.
> 
> I promise, I'll do better about updating the main fight club series as well as these side stories. Won't keep these stagnant as long.


	2. Breaking routine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the Pearl's routine is broken, her future is irrevocably changed.

>It had been three weeks since the Pearl had been gifted to her Hematite. Three weeks of the same routine, of her closing her eyes while Hematite was present, standing still in the corner, not moving, not making a sound, simple decoration. Three weeks of listening to her Hematite plan, plot, and scheme, of the various scents she was using to mask her presence on the missions. Three weeks of slumping down and crying for a while after her Hematite left, her sadness at being unable to do anything to make her master happy eating away at her. Her hopes of her Hematite letting her do anything but stand and look pretty were fading, the knowledge that she was ultimately an unwanted gift eating away at her very being.  
>The Pearl snapped out of her self pity as she heard the familiar hum of the elevator coming down the shaft. She stood back up quickly, straitening the frills of her outfit out before she closed her eyes and did her best salute, as always. She heard the doors opening.  
>Her face twisted into confusion as she heard the footsteps walking out of the elevator. They didn't sound right to her, they were quiet, but......louder than normal. Her Hematite always moved so silently. The smell that wafted into the room was also wrong, usually her Hematite would still smell of the area she was going to, would still have her camouflaging scent on her. The scent that came was wrong, completely different from when she left.  
>A chill ran through her form as she heard a voice speak out, so similar to her Hematite's, but very very different. "Well, isn't that a pretty little Pearl? Making her stand in a corner, such a waste." The Pearl's eyes shot open in fear at the sound of the voice, realization dawning on her. Before her stood another Hematite, a similar height, a similar build, a similar outfit, similar hair styles, but very, very different in the aura she gave off. A small gap sat at the naval of the intruding Hematite, her gem shining within.  
>The intruding Hematite began walking over, a devious grin on her face. "You even have my gem placement! Fate is truly smiling on me this day!"  
>The Pearl stuttered out as she spoke in a hushed tone, straining to use the voice she barely used. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"  
>The intruding Hematite kept moving closer slowly. "You should know what I'm after little Pearl. Your master was gifted such a treasure, yet she never shows you off. Me and the other Hematites, we're just as good as she is, just as deserving of a Pearl, yet we weren't chosen. How do you think we feel about that?"  
>The Pearl pressed her back as far into the corner as she could go, shaking nervously now. "I....what does this have to do with me?"  
>The intruding Hematite's grin grew wider. "Why my dear, you're going to tell me everything you know about your master!" Her gem glowed as she pulled out a pair of kunai knives from her gem. "Do comply, it'd be a shame to scar that pretty face. If you cooperate, I'll even sneak you away, give you a better life. Imagine it, dancing, singing, doing things instead of being cooped up here all day! Doesn't that sound nice?"  
>The Pearl hesitated. As neglectful as her master was, she knew spilling information would only prove that her Hematite's fears were rational. "No.....I'm sorry, but I know nothing. She doesn't allow me to do anything here, or let me see what she's doing. I can't help you."  
>The intruder's grin turned into a scowl. "Don't play dumb with me sweety, nobody's that loyal, least of all Pearls. All Pearls are the same, willing to sell out their masters to avoid being damaged." The intruder picked up her pace, flourishing her kunais in her hands, the distance closing between them. "Come now, you must know something about her we can use to take her down."  
>The Pearl shook her head in fear. "Pl-please, I don't know anything! She doesn't let me know anything! I can't help you! Just, just leave."  
>The intruding Hematite stood a few inches away from the Pearl now, pointing her kunais strait at the Pearl's eyes. "Stubborn little thing aren't you?" A quick flick of her wrists sent the kunai's tip sinking into the Pearl's right cheek, sending a jolt of pain through her form, causing her to cry out. "I'm telling you, it WILL get worse for you, just spill it now and save yourself the pain!"  
>Tears flowed down the Pearl's grey cheeks. "I don't know anything, I swear! Just go, leave me alone, please! I can't help you, I can't tell you what I don't know!"  
>"I warned you! You only have yourself to blame for this!" The intruding Hematite snarled as she drew both of her hands back, preparing for a hard strike with both, the kunai tips shining in the light of the room.  
>"NO, PLEASE DON'T!!!" the Pearl shouted out, her gem glowing brilliantly for a moment before a long grey object shot out of her gem, the tip colliding with the intruding Hematite's naval gem, a sickening crack sounding through the room as the intruder took a few stumbling steps back, dropping her kunai as she clutched at her gem, her eyes wide in shock. A grey staff clattered to the floor as the kunais also clattered from their fall. The Pearl instinctively reached for the staff, gripping it tightly in her hands.  
>"You.....you cracked me! You little piece of shale! I'll break you for this, I'll-" Her words were cut off by the sound of the elevator door opening once more. The Pearl's eyes widened in joy as she saw her master walk out of the elevator. "Master, help! She was trying to get information about you!"  
>Hematite looked at the intruding Hematite, a glare on her face as she reached towards her back, pulling out a long grey staff of her own, darker than the one her Pearl was clutching so tightly. The intruding Hematite sputtered out a few quick words. "No, wait, don't!" before Hematite drove her staff into the intruder's already cracked gemstone, sending small bits flying as another sickening crunch sounded through the room. The intruding Hematite's eyes widened further before her whole form glitched out violently, her form dissipating before her gem fell to the floor and splintered apart into shards.  
>The intruder taken care of, Hematite turned her attention back to her Pearl, eyeing her, the cut on her cheek, and her staff curiously. She let her own staff vanish before she walked over to her Pearl. "So, you have a staff like me do you? The other Hematite used her weapon on you and you still didn't spill anything?"  
>The Pearl clenched her eyes shut as she nodded and responded. "Yes my Hematite, I told her nothing. I, I don't know where the staff came from, I, I didn't take it from you, I swear!"  
>"Open your eyes Pearl. Let me see your staff." The Pearl complied, opening her eyes to the sight of her Hematite standing a few inches away. She offered her staff to her master with open palms, her body shaking in fear as her master took the weapon.  
>Hematite smiled as she turned around and gave the weapon a few experimental swings before turning back around. "This staff is well balanced in weight and durability. Perhaps you can be of use to me after all." Her face turned into its usual stern expression. "My Pearl, I'm going to train you. I'm going to make you into a gem to be feared. When I'm done with you, no other intruding gem will ever lay a scratch on you. When I'm done, you will be second in skill only to me. You will do this, or I will break you now. Do you understand?"  
>The Pearl looked at the shards of the fallen intruder before she looked back at her master. She was unsure about training, but she wasn't ready to be broken. "Yes my Hematite, I understand. Please, train me."  
>"Good to hear it. But first, your outfit, it needs a change. You need to reform without the frills, and with more comfortable footwear. Do it as fast as you can." with a swift motion, Hematite sent the Pearl's own staff into her chest, the Pearl screaming out in pain and shock before her form dissipated. Her master caught her gem before it fell to the floor, the staff vanishing from her hands.  
>"I hope you're ready for this, my Pearl. My new apprentice." Hematite whispered to her Pearl's gemstone before setting it on the table and turning her attention to planning out her next mission on top of a training regiment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite being mistreated, Iron is still in her early stages here, still oh so trusting, still looking for her master's approval. She gets her wish of being able to do things, but not in the way she was hoping. Here, you can see Hematite is very cruel in how she gets the results she wants.


	3. The training begins.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pearl reforms, and Hematite begins training her.

>Three days had passed since Hematite had poofed her Pearl. A few days of the gem sitting inert on Hematite's planning desk, a few days of not moving, not glowing, and Hematite glancing over at the stone while planning her missions, the training regiment coming swiftly to the assassin gem.  
>Hematite was at the end stages of planning her next mission when it happened. The Pearl's stone began glowing a soft grey. Thinking quickly, Hematite grabbed the Pearl and swiftly put it down on the floor a short distance away from her desk, before smiling. Despite everything, she was looking forward to seeing if she could really turn a Pearl into something more.   
>The Pearl's gem began to float off the floor, suspending in midair before her slender form blossomed out from her naval gem, a vague silhouette. Her form began taking on more details, the glow fading from her body to reveal her grey skin, her grey hair cascading down from her head and to her shoulders. Her dark grey leotard took form next, the frills completely gone from her shoulders and waist, but still clinging tightly to her torso. The dark grey stockings formed around her legs, with new, thinner shoes taking the place of the ballet shoes, the new shoes modeled after Hematite's own footwear. The Pearl's body floated gently down to the floor, her feet touching the ground softly and silently. Her white eyes fluttered open for a moment as she took stock of her surroundings before catching sight of her Hematite and saluting. "Sorry for taking so long Hematite." the Pearl whispered meekly.   
>"Three days.....you formed a lot faster than I expected Pearl. I've heard talk of other gems who had their Pearls poof, and how those Pearls took weeks to reform. I'm pleased that you took your reformation seriously." Hematite's smile quickly faded into a serious tone. "Don't expect any mercy because of your speed Pearl. I intend to make you into a gem to be feared, and we start now." Hematite stood from her desk and walked over to the far wall. The Pearl eyed her curiously as she followed behind, watching intently as the wall slid open to reveal a panel she had never seen before. Hematite's hands moved swiftly across the panel, pressing buttons and making swipes in blurs the Pearl could barely follow.   
>After a few seconds of inputs, the panel glowed green before the wall slid open, revealing a separate room. The room itself was mostly empty, a few training dummies pushed against the wall. Hematite spoke out as she entered the room. "This is where we'll be training. The floor and walls here are padded, a place intended for practicing your moves, for honing your skills. I never had a use for this room, until now." she turned around and looked her Pearl strait in the eyes. "From now on, this room will remain open. When I'm on my missions, you will practice. When I'm trying to plan a mission, you will practice. When I'm working with you directly, it will be in this room. From now until you are ready, this room is where you will be at all times unless I tell you otherwise. Is that clear Pearl?"  
>The Pearl nodded her head in understanding. "Yes my Hematite."  
>"Good. Before we work on moves, you must learn to summon your gem weapon, your staff, at will. Summon your staff Pearl."   
>The Pearl nodded before she looked down at her gem. She tried her best to get her weapon to pop back out, placing her hands around her gem, focusing her thoughts and energy on it, but no matter what she tried, her staff would not form. After a few minutes of the Pearl trying, Hematite began walking over towards her slowly.  
>"What's the matter Pearl? I thought you were going to take this seriously. Summon your weapon."  
>The Pearl looked up at Hematite nervously as she drew closer. "I, I'm trying! I, give me time, please."  
>Hematite reached behind her and pulled her staff from her gem, twirling it in her hands before resuming her approach. "You're not going fast enough. Summon your weapon."  
>The Pearl's body began to shake in fear at the sight of her master's staff, her gem beginning to glow a little brighter. "No, no please, time, I need time, please!"  
>Hematite was a foot away from the Pearl now, her staff raised in a striking position. "Summon your weapon NOW, or I'm going to attack you!"  
>The Pearl's eyes widened as fear flooded her form. "No, no please, don't!" With a brilliant glow, her staff popped out of her gem and clattered to the floor. The Pearl eyed the staff for a moment before reaching out for it. Hematite moved faster, tossing her own staff aside, letting it clatter to the floor as she picked up the Pearl's staff.  
>"Hmph, you summoned, but you must have your hands ready to grasp your weapon!" Hematite smacked the Pearl's right shoulder with her own staff before snapping the weapon in half in her hands. She walked over to retrieve her staff before turning back to the Pearl, who was winching and rubbing her shoulder. "Again! Summon your weapon!"  
>The Pearl clenched her white eyes shut as she tried to summon a new staff, fear growing again within her as she heard her master's barely audible footsteps begin to approach her again. Once more, she heard her Hematite taunt. "You're wide open without a weapon Pearl! You're too easy to attack like this!" Hematite brought her own staff into a blow to the Pearl's left shoulder, causing her white eyes to shoot open as pain spread through her arm. Once again, her gem glowed brightly as she saw Hematite readying another strike, this time the staff brushed against her fingers, almost sliding completely through them before she got a light grip on her weapon.  
>With a sneer, Hematite used her staff to knock the Pearl's staff out of her hands, the staff clattering to the ground before Hematite struck at the Pearl's left side. The Pearl shouted out in pain while Hematite dashed over to the staff and split it in two with her own, watching as the weapon disappeared.   
>"Again! Summon your weapon Pearl!" Hematite shouted, twirling her staff and advancing a little faster this time.   
>The Pearl gritted her teeth, pain flooding her form, anger boiling within her, fear surging through her as she saw her master approach once more. This time, when she reached down for her gem, the staff responded to the mix of her emotions, slid into her hands where she clutched it firmly.   
>The Pearl looked at her staff, joy and relief flooding through her form. "There, I did it!" Her celebration was cut short by her Hematite making another fast dash, knocking her staff out of her hands again, striking her right side, then catching the Pearl's staff with one hand before snapping it in half with one hand, the staff once more splintering and vanishing as pain flooded through the Pearl.   
>Hematite let her own staff vanish before she rushed over to the Pearl and grabbed at her long hair, yanking it as she brought her face close to the Pearl's. "You can't celebrate the small things! You have a long way to go Pearl, a very long way! A moment of lost focus means death in a real fight!" Hematite snarled before she shoved her Pearl away, forcing her hard into a padded wall. A dull pain still shot through the Pearl's form as she hit the wall, the Pearl gasping out in involuntary pain.   
>Hematite looked her Pearl once more before sighing. "I have a mission to go on. Stay in here and practice your summoning. We'll resume lessons when I return and my next mission is planned out."  
>The Pearl nodded and whispered out weakly. "Y-yes my Hematite." Her whole body was shaking, pain still flowing through her form.   
>With that, Hematite turned around and walked out of the room and over to the elevator, the Pearl watching her movements while still trying to summon her weapon, just in case. Only when Hematite stepped into the elevator, only when it had gone up the shaft and been gone for fifteen minutes, only then did the Pearl allow herself to slump down, her body crying out in relief as she sat upon the soft floor, tears flowing from her eyes.   
>"I knew it would be hard, but this? Why is she doing this?!" a mix of sadness and anger flooded through the Pearl as her mind tried to make sense of her Hematite's method of training. She sighed before she laid back entirely, to let her body heal easier. She would allow herself to rest a while before resuming her attempts at summoning her weapon at will. She knew she had to improve fast, or Hematite might do so much worse to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hematite is not a nice gem, but she gets the results she wants, one way or another. Fear is Hematite's favored tactic to use, and it's a powerful motivator for Past Iron.


	4. A staff of mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pearl practices summoning her staff while Hematite is away.

>After taking a break for an hour to allow her body to heal from Hematite's attacks, the Pearl stood up and resumed trying to summon her staff. For her first few attempts, her gem glowed dully, her staff refusing to come out. The Pearl groaned in frustration as she tried to focus harder, her gem glowing brighter as she did, but her staff still not responding to her will.  
>Then the Pearl thought of something. She thought of how her master had made her feel. She thought of the mix of fear and anger she had felt, remembered the pain that flowed through her form from Hematite's strikes. With this memory of her emotions, her gem glowed brighter than before, her staff sliding out of her gem with ease.   
>The Pearl smiled as she saw the staff in her hands before her smile faded and she sighed. "Do I really need to remember fear and anger to summon? Is that why Hematite was attacking me, because she knew?" With a scowl, the Pearl used her left knee to snap her own staff in half, watching the weapon disappear as a slight pain ebbed from her left knee.  
>"No, I refuse, I refuse to let fear and anger be why I summon my staff. I need something else, something....different, but still strong." The Pearl thought for a moment, determined to think of another way.   
>It wasn't long before she realized her gem was glowing even brighter than what it was when she was remembering her fear and anger. Her eyes widened in understanding, the Pearl reaching for her gem, the staff sliding out faster and easier than before. The Pearl's eyes widened in realization as she looked at her weapon in her hand.   
>"Of course, it's not about what emotion you're feeling, it's about how strong it is. It's about the will and desire to summon! That's why fear and anger caused my staff to manifest, I wanted something to defend myself, and now, now I wanted to summon my staff without them, and....it worked." The Pearl smiled to herself as she looked at her staff.   
>With a new method of summoning figured out, The Pearl spent her time practicing summoning and unsummoning her weapon, the minutes passing into hours as the process became easier and faster with each summon. She got so lost in her practice she didn't notice when her master returned from her mission, didn't notice Hematite watching her summoning and unsummoning her weapon.   
>It was only when Hematite used her staff to knock a freshly summoned staff out of the Pearl's hands that she took notice of her master returning. "So, I see you've figured out how to summon fluidly while I was gone, but at the cost of your attention!" With a jab, Hematite sent the tip of her staff into the Pearl's chest, knocking her back.   
>The Pearl's white eyes widened as she looked at her master. "Master, pl-please forgive my lack of attention!"  
>"Summon your staff again Pearl. It's time I taught you the next step." Hematite spoke out in an annoyed tone.   
>The Pearl nodded before she summoned her staff, her determination to have a weapon in her hand causing it to return to her grip quickly. With a swift motion, Hematite lunged forward, knocking the Pearl's staff out of her hands before hitting the Pearl on her right shoulder. "Be ready to block the moment the staff enters your hand Pearl! When you summon your weapon, you need to be ready to use it immediately!" Hematite took a few steps back after she finished speaking, readying herself for her Pearl's next attempt.   
>The Pearl eyed Hematite before taking a deep breath and summoning her staff again. Again, Hematite lunged forward immediately, knocking the staff out of the Pearl's hands before striking her body on her left side. "Again!" Hematite shouted as she stepped back into her default stance.  
>The process repeated for a half hour, summon, disarmed, strike to the left shoulder. Summon, disarmed, strike to the right ribs. Summon, disarmed, strike at the right hip. Summon, disarmed, strike to the left knee. Over and over, Hematite struck at the Pearl, the Pearl's body now sore all over and shaking from the repeated strikes, Hematite growing ever angrier. She pulled at her Pearl's hair once more forcing the Pearl to look her in her eyes. "You can't keep doing this Pearl! Do you want to break?! Do you like getting hit?!" With a forceful shove, Hematite sent her Pearl down to the ground, drawing her staff up into another strike. "I'll keep hitting you until you learn or poof!"  
>The Pearl's eyes widened as she saw her master's staff coming down. Her body cried out in protest as the Pearl found herself reacting on instinct, her staff materializing in her hands and her shaking arms moving up, both hands clutching her staff as she blocked the incoming overhead strike. A wave of joy went through the Pearl before her staff disappeared against her will, as Hematite brought her staff around into another strike to her right ribs. It was too much for the Pearl. With wide eyes, her form dissipated, her gem falling to the padded floor.   
>Hematite smiled as she picked the Pearl's gem up and held in in her hands. "I knew you could do it, but you've got a long way to go. Rest and recover." Hematite sat the Pearl's gem back down on the floor before leaving the room and heading over to her desk. She had another mission to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of just how brutal Hematite can be in training, and more of the Pearl who will be Iron learning about what it'll take to succeed in said training.


	5. A painful lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite's Pearl reforms in an unexpected way. Hematite is not happy about it.

>It took the Pearl four days to reform this time, Hematite looking up from the plans of a mission she had just finished with a smile.  
>Hematite's smile turned into a scowl as she watched the Pearl form. Her outfit still the same leotard lacking frills, still the same stockings, the same shoes she had worn, but something else had changed. The Pearl finished reforming with much shorter hair. Hematite summoned her staff and started walking towards her as her eyes fluttered open.  
>A chill went through her form as she saw her master approach, reaching towards her gem to summon her staff. She wouldn't get the chance. Hematite picked up her pace and dashed over to the Pearl, knocking her hands away from her gem and then striking her hard on the chest, sending the Pearl crashing to the ground.   
>"M-master? What are-"  
>"Did I tell you to change your form Pearl?" Hessonite asked out, her tone full of anger.   
>"N-no but I-"  
>"You what? Thought it'd be okay to do something I DIDN'T tell you to do? Thought you'd put a stop to me pulling your hair?"  
>"I-I just-"  
>"Let me tell you something, Pearl. You DON'T get to choose your form! If you CHOOSE your form, you're telling me you want to challenge me at full force!" Hematite punctuated her statement with a series of strikes too fast for the Pearl to follow, but she could feel them impacting her shoulders, her legs, and her chest.   
>"N-no, I don't want to challenge you! F-forgive me!" The Pearl spoke in a panicked tone, pain ebbing through her form raising her hands in front of her to show she was unwilling to fight.  
>Hematite's anger began to subside, but she knew she couldn't let it go so easily. "When you reform next time, you had BETTER be back to how you were. You need to be poofed, today's lesson will be jumping ahead. Summon your staff and block as many as you can!" Hematite began moving around the Pearl in a blur, heavy blows striking all over her body, causing jolts of pain to pass through her form.   
>With shaky hands, the Pearl reached for her gem, gritting her teeth and fighting through the pain as she tried to focus, her body crying out in protest as the flurry of blows kept striking her. She focused entirely on her gem, trying to shut out the pain she was feeling, fighting against the growing need to release her form, determined to at least pull her staff once.   
>Finally her staff slid out of her gem, her body close to its limit. Thinking quickly, she swiped the staff along the ground all around her. Hematite's eyes widened as the Pearl's staff connected with her legs, losing her footing for a moment, her staff landing harder on the Pearl's head than the previous blows had been.   
>The Pearl smiled weakly at seeing Hematite falter before she finally gave in, her form dissipating in a cloud of grey smoke, her gem landing on the padded floor softly.   
>Hematite desummoned her staff and went over to pick the Pearl up. She ran her fingers along the surface for a moment, a mix of emotions going through her.   
>"You disobeyed me again Pearl. You didn't block a single blow, but you landed one, even if it was weak. My my my, you are an interesting one......" Hematite pressed against the gem a little harder before she changed her mind and let up. "No, breaking you would be a waste. You will be of use to me, that much is clear now. You can be taught."   
>With a smile, Hematite placed the gem back on the padded floor, and exited the training room. She made her way into the elevator and departed from her chambers. She had another mission to attend to. For the first time in her existence, Hematite found herself wondering if any other gem had ever decided to train a Pearl how to fight in secrecy. "I'll need to be careful from now on. I know it's possible now, however unlikely it is. I need contingency plans in place. One extra fighter is all it takes sometimes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Proof that this Pearl is already learning more than Hematite intended, and seeds a reason for a later event to happen. Hardest thing about writing this is not being able to speak about the really cool moments yet.


	6. Training timeskip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little jump forward to show a sparring lesson between Hematite and the Pearl that will become Iron.

>The training sessions between Hematite and her Pearl apprentice followed the same pattern after the Pearl reformed with the correct hair length. Always the same, the Pearl reformed in two to four days, Hematite drilled her and sparred with her until the Pearl couldn't take it anymore, then the Pearl would poof and Hematite would go on her mission.   
>The weeks turned to months easily, the months turned into a full year. Each time the Pearl reformed, she lasted a little longer, blocking and dodging more hits, landing a few lucky blows during a few sessions, and her summoning had become instantaneous.   
>It was now four hundred and forty days since Hematite had started training the Pearl. One hundred and forty five missions had been planned and successfully completed in that time, with her one hundred forty sixth planned out, ready for her to depart.   
>Once more, the Pearl reformed near the end of Hematite's planning period. Gone was the uncertain look on her face. The Pearl's staff was in her hands a moment after her body finished reforming. Hematite summoned her own staff and started towards the training room. "Ready for your lesson I see. Good. Let's see what you've got, Pearl."  
>The Pearl and Hematite began circling each other staves in hand, the Pearl eyeing her master wearily, looking for the first signs of movement. Her weary gaze didn't last long, Hematite made her move in a flash, lunging forward, her staff aimed right at the Pearl's chest.   
>The Pearl quickly brought her staff up to block the blow, a clack echoing through the room as they connected. The Pearl had been doing better about blocking the first blow the last thirty lessons, she smirked as she pushed back slightly and broke away from her master, preparing her own strike towards Hematite's left side.  
>Hematite smirked in return. The Pearl's actions were mostly predictable, but her body remained alert. She quickly moved her staff to block the blow aimed at her, making her own push before she moved her staff swiftly into a right shoulder blow.  
>The Pearl blocked the shoulder blow with ease before moving into a right side blow, which Hematite blocked with a swift motion combined with a quick shot towards the Pearl's left leg, which connected, sending a flash of pain through the Pearl's body.   
>The Pearl focused through the familiar sensation of pain and continued her attack, aiming at Hematite's chest. Hematite sneered as she sidestepped quickly before landing a few quick blows to the Pearl's right side, followed by a blow to her back which sent her stumbling forward.   
>Hematite made a quick lunge as the Pearl spun around. Their staves connected once more, sending the Pearl sliding back. Gritting her teeth, she charged towards her master, staff pointed at Hematite's chest.   
>Once more, Hematite did a sidestep at the last moment. She got one strike in to the Pearl's left side before the Pearl brought her staff around to block, her movement slowing down as she skid to a halt. With a sharp shove, the Pearl's staff pushed against Hematite's, knocking the assassin gem off guard for a brief flicker. It was enough time to let the Pearl land a blow on the Hematite's torso, firm but not strong enough to really damage her.  
>The Hematite smiled to herself as she stopped herself from sliding, and made her next move. She picked up her speed and started moving in a blur around her Pearl, started to really layer the blows against her, too fast for the Pearl to prepare any counters.   
>A flurry of blows proceeded, some of which the Pearl blocked, others landing on her body. Blocked, left shoulder, stomach, blocked, right arm, blocked, left leg, right side, left arm, blocked, blocked, head, blocked, right shoulder, left side, blocked, torso, blocked, blocked, right leg, blocked, the strikes kept coming, the Pearl's body growing weaker with each connecting blow.  
>After a few minutes in her high speed mode, Hematite grew bored. With a quick flick of her wrist, she knocked the Pearl's staff away, where it disappeared after clattering to the floor. She then stuck the Pearl's chest, driving her to the floor.   
>The Pearl closed her eyes as she landed butt first against the ground, waiting for what usually came next. What followed shook her to her core.   
>"Pearl, open your eyes. You aren't getting poofed today."  
>The Pearl opened her eyes and looked at her master in confusion. "Master? I, you're not going to poof me?"  
>"No. Until now, the blows you landed against me were pure luck, or allowed many blows against you in exchange for your one. Today, you landed a blow against me without sacrificing anything. You're ready for the next step. Stand up Pearl."  
>The Pearl's body shook as she stood up and looked at her master, a sense of pride mixed with fear welling up within her. "The next step, master?" she spoke out meekly.   
>"Yes. The next step is to work on the force of your blows. That one you landed was weak, if you're going to be of use to me, you must be stronger. For this, you will train. From now on, after every mission, I will bring back a training bag for you to use. You will strike at it as many times as you can while I plan out my mission. When I finish my planning, if the bag isn't destroyed, I will begin striking your form as you continue to focus your blows on the bag until it breaks or until you poof. Is that clear Pearl?"  
>The Pearl shook at the prospect of being hit while being unable to block, but she nodded as she answered. "Yes my Hematite, it's clear."  
>"Good. Rest your body while I'm out, and prepare yourself. Practice on the old bag hanging there, I expect it to be in pieces when I return, its structure is very weak." Hematite started towards the elevator as she finished speaking, leaving the Pearl standing their uncertainly, her body still shaking. She reached down towards her gem and summoned her staff as Hematite placed her hand against the elevator panel to activate it.   
>"Oh, and Pearl?" Hematite turned around to look back at the Pearl.  
>The Pearl froze in place before squeaking out. "Y-yes master?"   
>"Today you reaffirmed what I thought when I first saw you summon your staff. You're going to be useful to me, someday."  
>With that, Hematite entered the elevator and went off to her next mission, leaving the Pearl alone with an old bag and a goal in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to write out chapter after chapter of quick defeats, that'd get stale quick. Instead, I'll be focusing on the major training types and doing a few chapters on each before moving on. Hope you guys don't mind too much.


	7. Bag training begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pearl starts her strength training with the bag hanging from a hook as her target.

>The Pearl's body shook along with the staff in her hands as she eyed the old training bag hanging from a hook in the ceiling. Much like her Hematite had said, the bag was old, the covering around it greying and ripped, patches of covering peeling away from the main surface.   
>As much as she wanted to start striking at the bag right away, her body was sore and exhausted. She needed to take time to recover her strength before she started. With a sigh, she sat upon the padded floor in front of the bag, placing her grey staff in her lap and closing her eyes as she crossed her legs. The Pearl's mind wandered as she rested, wandered to what her Hematite's end goal was, wandered to thoughts of one day besting her master, even if it was only once.   
>The Pearl knew such a day was a long way in the future, but she allowed herself the dream. Her body's aching began to fade, the shaking of her limbs died down, and her resolve only grew as the minutes passed and turned into hours.   
>The last of the aches from her body faded. The Pearl stood up and opened her eyes, determination flowing through her as she started striking the bag with her staff. It took an hour of hitting the hold thing, but when the bag broke apart and the sand within poured down to the floor, a rush of joy flowed through the Pearl. "I, I did it. I really did it!" she spoke in disbelief, before smiling and jumping for joy.   
>She cut her celebration short as she picked up on the sound of the elevator descending the shaft, her eyes widening in surprise. She hadn't expected her master back so soon. The Pearl dismissed her staff and did her best salute as the elevator door slid open.  
>From within, Hematite emerged, holding a new bag in her hands. She looked directly towards her Pearl as she stepped out of the elevator and saw the pile of sand behind her.   
>Hematite spoke as she walked towards her Pearl, her student. "So, you did manage to break it, very good. This bag will be harder to destroy. Do your best Pearl, my next mission won't take long to plan. It's a simple observation mission."   
>Hematite chuckled as she hung the bag up from the chain and then turned around to head towards her desk to plan her next mission. The Pearl grew nervous, she knew she didn't have much time.   
>Her gem glowed as she summoned her staff, pulling it out and swinging it for a strike the moment it was free of her gem. The Pearl frowned as she pulled her staff away from the bag and saw it didn't even have a scratch on it.   
>The Pearl hit the bag over and over, trying her best to hit the same spot every time, to give herself the best odds of breaking it before Hematite finished planning. The bad swung with every swing, but showed very little signs of damage.  
>After four hours of swinging her staff, the Pearl's form was growing weary, her previous damage catching up with her and the fatigue of her non stop strikes setting in. That's when she heard it, her master's voice speaking out, sending a chill through the Pearl's form. "There, a perfect plan, even for me."   
>The Pearl's body began to shake as she heard her master's footsteps approaching her, heard the sound of Hematite pulling her own staff from her gem. Still, the Pearl kept hitting the bag with all the might she could muster.   
>Hematite arrived in the sparring room, now standing a short distance away from her Pearl, running her eyes over the Pearl's form and then to the bag, only slightly scuffed up. Hematite could see how exhausted the Pearl was.   
>Hematite spoke in a firm tone. "You've done better than I thought you would Pearl. Your form is badly damaged and fatigued, you need a rest. This one time, I'll make it quick."  
>With that, Hematite drew her staff back and struck the Pearl's back with more force than the Pearl had ever felt her master use before. The Pearl let out a single sharp gasp as pain shot through her body, the damage becoming too much for her to bare. Her form dissipated, her gem landed softly on the padded floor below.   
>"Take your time with this one, I won't be back for a while." Hematite whispered out before she made her way over to the elevator. She always hated observation missions, but for her Diamond, she would endure the tedium.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of Hematite's few moments of "mercy" towards her Pearl. But also a hint that maybe Hematite has been toying with her Pearl during their training.


	8. Bag training timeskip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A skip ahead, to a further point of the Pearl's bag training.

>Hematite continued to bring her Pearl fresh training bags at the end of every mission she went on. Every time she came back, the Pearl would be reformed, staff in her hands and her eyes narrowed in determination. Every time, the Pearl would strike at the bag as hard and fast as she could while Hematite planned out her next mission.  
>Hematite had now been on fifty more missions since she started the Pearl on her strength training. She kept her expression neutral as she hung the bag up on the hook. "You know what to do Pearl. Let's see if today's the day you break one."   
>"Yes master. This time, the bag will break." The Pearl spoke flatly, bowing to her master before turning her attention to the bag hanging before her. Hematite cracked a smile as soon as her back was turned to her Pearl, the sounds of the Pearl hitting the bag with her staff filling the room.   
>The last few times, Hematite had noted the bag was very close to breaking apart. The repetitive training was paying off better than before, making Hematite wonder if her student was swinging the staff around while there was nothing to target. A thought passed through her mind before she turned her attention to planning her next mission. "If she's training without a bag, that's good. I know she'll break the bag within the next few times. When she does, we'll increase the intensity of the training. She needs to break it in a single strike if she's to be of use to me on missions."   
>The minutes turned into hours as Hematite ran over the details of her next mission on datapads and in her own mind, doing calculations to determine results of potential actions on the mission. In the distance, the grey Pearl kept striking away at the bag, moving her body from side to side as she kept hitting the same spot over and over, sweat beading off of her form as she gritted her teeth, her long hair swishing from side to side, a thought running through her mind as she saw the fabric on the bag start to loosen. "This is it, this time for sure, I'll make master proud of me. I'll show her I can do this. i must show her I can do this before she gets tired of waiting on me."  
>The sound of her master's voice sent a brief chill through the Pearl's form. "Pearl, I'm done with my planning. It's time for your training session to wrap up, one way or another." The sound of Hematite summoning her weapon filled the room as she moved quietly and quickly towards the Pearl. The Pearl sped up her strikes as she heard her master's soft footsteps, she knew she had to break the bag soon or she'd be poofed.  
>As the Pearl kept layering blows on the bag, Hematite smirked behind her, clutching her staff tightly before she brought it down into a strike on the Pearl's right shoulder. Pain shot through the Pearl's form, causing her to flinch for a moment before she refocused on the bag in front of her.  
>The minutes passed by, Hematite kept laying the blows on her Pearl's body, towards her left and right hips, on both of her legs, hitting her left shoulder, smacking her head, striking a few spots on her back, dozens of blows per minute. Hematite kept smiling as she struck at her Pearl, a thought running through her mind. "This training is making her body highly durable if nothing else."   
>The Pearl's body began to shake as the blows began sapping her strength, her strikes against the bag becoming weaker, but the material becoming much looser. Hematite took a pause as she watched her Pearl's arms shake. "Come on Pearl, is this the best you can do?! Is this all you have to offer?! You're durable now, I'll give you that, but it's time to end this!" Hematite reared her staff back, preparing for one final hard strike.   
>The Pearl's eyes widened as she forced her body to stop shaking, gritting her teeth before she spat out. "You're right, this ends now!" With a yell, she reared her staff back before driving it into the bag, her staff connecting with the bag moments before Hematite's staff connected with the Pearl's back.   
>The Pearl let out a gasp, a mix of pain and surprise as her staff broke the fabric, the sand within the bag spilling onto the floor as Hematite's staff dug into her back. The Pearl smiled in satisfaction as she felt her form start to fade. "I......knew that.....would do it. I can.....be useful."  
>The Pearl's form dissipated, a cloud of smoke flowing out as her gem hung in the air for a moment, before dropping down onto the padded floor. Hematite eyed the grey Pearl, then eyed the now broken bag, sparkles rising from it as the Pearl's staff vanished.   
>"Finally, you broke a bag. Excellent work, my student. You'll be a proper assassin soon enough. For now, rest, you've earned it." Hematite whispered out as she turned away from the grey gem and walked towards the elevator.   
>Hematite started running through things in her mind as she waited for the elevator to lower. "I'll need to step up the training again, attack her from the start, get her speed on destroying the bag up, make her strikes stronger still. She needs to destroy them in five hits or less before she hits her maximum usefulness. Then.....then we move into the final phase."  
>Hematite hummed to herself as the door to the elevator opened up and she stepped inside. She found herself looking forward to the future, to a time when her work towards training the Pearl would come to fruition.


	9. An end to the training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hematite brings her Pearl's training to a close.

>Eight hundred ninety days had passed since Hematite had started training the Pearl she had been awarded in the ways of combat. Training sessions were going smoother, the Pearl started being able to break the bags faster and faster, taking fewer blows from Hematite with each mission that passed. When the Pearl was able to break the bags before Hematite finished her planning, the pair resumed sparring matches. Hematite was pleased at how much stronger the Pearl's blows were becoming, and at how well she was able to get through guards now. Still not enough to seriously threaten Hematite of course, the most blows the assassin allowed against her were five before she'd wrap the sparring session up by poofing her pupil.   
>The last training session Hematite did with the Pearl had her breaking the training bag open in three swift blows, sand scattering across the floor before she turned her attention towards Hematite. Gone was the uncertainty in the Pearl's eyes, yet the fear remained, the fear of Hematite. "Good, she needs to fear me, she has no idea what I'm truly capable of, only seen glimpses." Hematite mused in her mind during that last sparring session, allowing the Pearl the usual five strikes before ending the spar in a brutal way like usual. Little did Hematite know, the Pearl was starting to get a better understanding of what her master was really capable of.  
>When Hematite came back from her mission this time, the Pearl looked at her master with concern. Hematite wasn't carrying a new training bag like she usually did. An uneasy sensation settled into the Pearl's gut as she did her usual salute. Thoughts ran through her mind, things she dared not ask out loud for fear of angering her master. "What's going on? Am I, is there no more bag training? Is it because I break them too easily now? Did I do something wrong? Did, did she change her mind about training me?"  
>Hematite's voice brought the Pearl out of her thoughts. "Pearl, I'm sure you noticed I don't have a bag with me today. Do you know why?"  
>The Pearl swallowed hard as she took a guess. "Is, is it because I'm breaking them too fast now?"  
>Hematite cracked a brief smile before she replied in her usual stern tone. "You're correct. Pearl, your strength is now superb, your skills in combat now good enough to take out most targets with ease. Except Hematites and other elite soldiers of course." Hematite let out a light laugh, the first time the Pearl had ever heard her laugh.   
>The Pearl shuffled her feet nervously as she asked the question on her mind "What, what does that mean for me, for my training? Are we going to just spar now?"  
>Hematite shook her head. "No Pearl, you're done sparring with me. It's time for the next stage. It's time you joined me on missions. Come with me to my desk, and don't dawdle." Hematite began walking to her desk without a moment's pause after she finished speaking.  
>The Pearl hesitated for a brief second before she sprinted across the room to catch up with her master.   
>Hematite pulled a scroll out of her back gem and spread it out across the table with a grin. She didn't like using dataplates to plan her missions, they were too easy to bug and spy on. She had seen other Hematites make that mistake and pay dearly for it, had bugged dataplates herself on a few of her missions. Physical writing was better, less hack-able, easily disposed of permanently once she was finished. Most physical things written on could be recycled and renewed, reused in other planning phases for missions.   
>Hematite placed a slender finger upon the parchment with a smile. Upon it was a map of an area of an alien world. "Here we have a remote colony, being constructed and overseen by White Diamond herself." Hematite moved her finger to some writing on the side of the map."Lately, materials have been vanishing from the storage areas of the planet. It's my mission to figure out what's happening to them, and to report the gems behind the disappearance of the materials, if there are gems behind it. You're going to serve as an extra set of eyes for me. Hopefully we can spot what's happening faster this way."  
>"An investigation mission, I remember you saying you hated these." The Pearl whispered out, running her eyes along the details of the map, then over to the list. She scanned the list carefully, running through the items in her mind. "Hydrogen canisters, plasma discharge, tungsten, freshly harvested asteroid rocks, gravity well generators, injector replacement parts......unprocessed iron?" The Pearl paused at that last one, running it through her mind a few times. Such a short word, and yet......it sounded strong, and important. She liked the simplicity of it. She wanted to know more about it, and the other materials. "Master, these materials.....can you tell me what they look like?"  
>Hematite glanced away from the alien world map and the lines she was drawing, then over at her Pearl, an annoyed look on her face. "And why do you want to know that, Pearl?"  
>"W-well, if I don't kn-know what they l-look like, how can I know if s-some gem is making off with them?"  
>Hematite's expression of anger faded as she let out a sigh. "Right, you do need to know about that. Hold on......."  
>Hematite scooted back from her desk and pulled open one of the drawers, rummaging a bit through the information pages she had kept before she pulled out another rolled up scroll and thrust it towards her Pearl. "Here, read this and be quiet, I'm planning. I'll tell you what to do when we get there."  
>The Pearl smiled as she unrolled the scroll, the list of materials that frequently went into making a colony listed upon it. She knew which one she wanted to start with, running down the list until she found it, running it through her mind in silence. "Iron: a strong, hard magnetic silvery-gray metal, much used as a material for construction and manufacturing."   
>A smile crossed her face as she finished reading the description, another thought running through her mind. "Silvery grey, not much different from me. I like it, a strong and useful material. I want to be strong, I want to be useful. I, I want to be Iron. But......Hematite is never going to allow me to have a name, will she? I......I need to find a way to get away from her. I need to get out on my own, so I can be me. So I can be Iron."  
>A smile crossed Iron's face as she jumped back up to the top of the list, reading it through while running through other thoughts in her head. With Hematite taking her on missions now, perhaps she could find an opportunity during one of them to escape without Hematite following after her? She would need to make plans of her own, observe her master's actions and movements on the missions. She would only get one chance to escape, of that she was sure. One slip-up and she'd be shattered, by her master or by another gem.   
>Hematite's voice snapped the self-named Iron out of her thoughts. "Right, this plan should work, did you finish your reading Pearl?"  
>Iron smirked as she passed the scroll over to her master. "Yes, I finished it. I know what to look for now, what the most likely forms the materials will take."  
>"Excellent, you'll be of use to me yet." Hematite took the scroll and put it back in her desk. "Let's go, we've got a mission to complete!"  
>"Yes master." Iron spoke out while thinking to herself. "I'll be useful alright......until I get my chance to get away. You won't suspect anything until it's too late."  
>The pair loaded up in the elevator together, and traveled off the shaft. Iron was looking forward to her first glimpses of other worlds, and to the start of her plan that would lead her to a better life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, I can finally use Iron's name instead of calling her "The Pearl"


	10. A blind trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iron follows Hematite to her ship and into space, observing as much as she can.

>The elevator hummed lightly as it carried Hematite and Iron up the shaft, the door sliding open as the elevator reached the top. Hematite stepped out first, speaking out in a stern tone as she walked. "Keep up Pearl, we're heading strait to my ship."  
>Iron spoke out in an even tone before following quickly behind. "Yes my Hematite." while thinking "Your ship is the first thing I need to know about. I can't steal it from you, too obvious, but I can disable it perhaps....."  
>The pair walked along the surface of the planet quickly, soon coming across a larger grey tower, openings dotting the side of it. Iron spotted a few round ships of various colors landing within the openings and taking off from them. "A tower to land ships? Could be handy to remember that for later." Iron thought to herself as she and Hematite walked through the front doors of the building, then took an immediate turn to the right into a narrow hallway.   
>Hematite's pace had increased within the hallway. Iron found herself straining a little to keep up, a thought running through her mind. "Is she just in a hurry, or is this a test? I won't let her leave me behind or give her an excuse to break me, not now, not after all I've learned."  
>Hematite stopped at the end of the hallway. She let out an annoyed sigh as she turned around, her back facing the door and her hand placed awkwardly on the panel near the door. "I hate this part." Hematite muttered, her eyes locking with Iron's as she spoke louder. "I might have you keyed in so YOU can open this door my Pearl, to save me this embarrassment." As she finished speaking, a thin slot slid open on the wall, a red light emerging from within, scanning Hematite's form.   
>In her mind, Iron was thoroughly amused by Hematite's embarrassment of getting her gem scanned. Outwardly, she spoke out in an even tone. "If that is what you wish I will do it, my Hematite."   
>The door beeped, the light turning green. "Verified gem identity. Access granted. Your mission awaits." a robotic voice droned out as the panel slid shut while the door slid open. Hematite grumbled as she turned back around quickly and walked through the door, Iron following a few steps behind her.   
>As the pair entered the hanger, Iron's eyes widened for a moment as she saw the ship before her. It was a strange vessel compared to the round ships she had seen flying out of the tower moments before. The ship itself was a dark grey, matching the hue of Hematite's skin. The ship was shaped like a pyramid, four triangular sides connected to a large square base. The point of the pyramid was resting against the ground, the ship propped up by four thin grey poles shooting out from each side of the ship.   
>As Hematite drew closer to the ship, the side closest to her and Iron slid open, a thin ramp lowered down to the floor quickly, clattering loudly as it hit the ground. Hematite paused only for a moment to let the ramp settle before she walked up it. Behind her, Iron followed, more thoughts passing through her mind. "Doors are coded to open for authorized gems, Hematite's ship seems to respond to her too. Will be problematic to steal a ship without tricking the system if all landing areas work like this one."  
>Hematite and Iron didn't have to walk far through the ship once they were on board. They soon came to the ship's cockpit, a singular chair resting within. Hematite took a seat within the chair, then looked back at Iron. "Pearl, you are to close your eyes for the duration of our travel to our destination."  
>"Of course I am. She doesn't want me seeing where we're going." Iron thought bitterly to herself as she spoke out her confirmation. "Yes my Hematite." then closed her eyes as she took a spot out of the way.   
>Satisfied that her apprentice couldn't see anything, Hematite started pushing buttons, the ship's engines firing up after a brief sequence. Iron listened to the button presses intently, noting how each one let out a slightly different sound, playing the tune the sequence created in her mind a few times as the ship lifted off the floor of the hanger, the poles extending from the ship's sides retracting into the ship itself.   
>Iron could hear the ship exit the atmosphere, then the sounds around her grew strangely quiet, the engines were humming much quieter now that the ship was out in space. Iron took note of a few more button tones, feeling the ship lurch forward at the end of the sequence, her body suddenly feeling a little heavier. "She must have activated a warp on the ship. Two different tones to remember could be tricky. Hope I won't have to go just by sound." Iron thought to herself as the ship warped through space.   
>It wouldn't be long before the ship would arrive at the planet Hematite was to conduct her mission on. Iron could feel the ship coming out of the warp, her body growing lighter as she took a stumbling step forward. Shortly after, she heard Hematite's voice call out. "Get ready Pearl, we're about to enter the atmosphere of a planet. This is going to get rough."  
>Iron managed to re-balance herself and brace herself moments before the ship entered the new planet's atmosphere, the ship rocking violently as it cut through the alien sky. She could feel the ship slowing down as it approached the surface of the world, could hear the legs on the sides of the ship clank as they extended to help prop the ship upright. She felt the ship shake as it settled down and landed.   
>Despite not seeing any part of her trip through space, excitement still flowed through Iron as she heard Hematite speak out. "You can open your eyes Pearl, we've arrived. Come along, quickly, we have a mission to complete."  
>Iron opened her eyes with a smile as she spoke "Yes my Hematite." while thinking to herself. "This is it. I'm about to see an alien world." Iron wasn't sure what awaited her as she walked behind Hematite towards the ship's door, but she was determined to do her best on her first mission, and determined to learn as much as she could.


End file.
